News for Ronald Acuña - 2019 5x5 NL League - $260 Cap

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Tue Jan 22 201916:34Nick Markakis stays with Braves for $6 million deal
ATLANTA (AP) — The Braves agreed Tuesday to one-year contract to bring back All-Star outfielder Nick Markakis, who took a significant pay cut coming off one of the best seasons of his career.The deal is worth a guaranteed $6 million and includes a club option for 2020.Markakis became a free agent after completing a $44 million, four-year deal that he signed with the Braves for the 2015 season when he left the Baltimore Orioles.In another sign of the dwindled demand for veteran free agents, Markakis generated little interest on the open market and settled for a $4 million salary this season. Atlanta has a $6 million option for 2020 with a $2 million buyout.The agreement solidifies the lineup for the defending NL East champions, whose major acquisition of the offseason was free agent third baseman Josh Donaldson.A Georgia native, the 35-year-old Markakis is coming off the first All-Star appearance of his 13-year career. He earned both Gold Glove and Silver Slugger honors last season, hitting .297 with 14 homers and 93 RBIs while starting all 162 games in right field.The Braves will look to cut back on Markakis' playing time after he tailed off badly in the second half of the season. He was batting .323 with 10 homers and 61 RBIs at the All-Star break, but hit just .258 with four homers and 32 RBIs over the final 68 games.Still, the signing secures a Braves lineup that is counting on Donaldson to add more power. The former AL MVP signed a $23 million, one-year deal with Atlanta, which is counting on the 32-year-old to bounce back from two injury plagued seasons.The Braves are planning to turn Johan Camargo into a super sub who will get extensive time at second base, shortstop and third base, with perhaps an occasional start in left field. The Braves will likely shift NL Rookie of the Year Ronald Acuna Jr. from left to right field for some games, allowing Markakis to take some time off with an eye toward being stronger late in the season.With the reporting day for spring training less than a month away, Atlanta might still be in the market for another starting pitcher and is looking for additional depth in the bullpen.___Follow Paul Newberry on Twitter at www.twitter.com/pnewberry1963 His work can be found at https://apnews.com/search/paul%20newberry___For more AP baseball coverage: https://apnews.com/apf-Baseball and https://twitter.com/AP_Sports